Kristen Stewart: ‘Making films is ass-backwards to me’

Kristen Stewart is one of the great philosophical thinkers of our time, obviously. She’s not here for your standard Hollywood bullshit (despite being the starring actress in one of the biggest Hollywood franchises in history) and she basically thinks Europeans are doing it way better. Considering her deep thoughts about the acting and filmmaking industry, her latest role in Clouds of Sils Maria – itself a European film – seems like a good fit.

Let’s hear what KStew told Reuters about her experience and her thoughts on her career:

Q: Working with a European writer-director on this film, was that a different mindset from working in America? Is there a freedom that comes from working in Europe that you might not get in Hollywood?

A: It’s not absent in the States, but it’s not prevalent to feel free within the film industry, to feel like you can say what you want to say, not with any concern about how people are going to react to it, whether you’re going to piss them off.

So here, it seems like people are less afraid because again they’re doing it for themselves. It’s for the art of it. It’s not to market things. It’s just, it’s a good feeling.

You know, to make a movie is so ridiculous. We’re going to go film each other pretending to be other people so other people can watch us pretending to be other people? It’s insane. But if it’s worth it and it’s saying something … it can be transcendentally important.

Q: Is it difficult to remain yourself knowing the industry is pushing and pulling you this way and that, with the media often giving you a hard time regardless of what you do?

A: I don’t do what I do to … control perception or make people think a certain way about me. That would be traipsing all over the experience of making any film.

It’s just so ass-backwards to me. I don’t know how people do that. I don’t know how people tactfully traverse their careers. I don’t know how they choose, ‘Well, this is a different side of me people have not seen and so I will present that to them now.’ It’s like, ‘Why are you doing this for other people? You should be doing it for yourself.’ And so I’ve functioned from that position since I started, and therefore I really don’t care about all that.

I mean, good for her – she is dedicated to her “art” as she sees it and I do actually really like her. I like her style, I like that she doesn’t stand there smiling blankly for every camera that wants to flash a picture of her, I like her attitude. The whole RPattz cheating scandal was a hot mess (especially since I will place money on a bet that she’s still gayer than the day is long), but she’s young and stupid and she’ll end up okay, I’m sure.